Raptors-Celtics Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTOPosted Jan 17 2012 10:07PM

The Boston Celtics may feel they're headed in the right direction, but their five-game losing streak would seem to indicate otherwise.

The Toronto Raptors know all about long losing streaks.

The Celtics look to snap their longest skid in nearly five years by continuing their dominance of the visiting Raptors on Wednesday night.

Boston (4-8) is mired its first five-game losing streak since dropping seven in a row April 4-15, 2007, part of a 1-8 run that ended the 2006-07 season. The Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen the following offseason, setting the stage for the 2008 NBA title and four straight Atlantic Division championships.

The Celtics haven't looked anything like champions this season, and are averaging 81.8 points and shooting 40.5 percent during their losing streak. They shot 39.1 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 19 times Monday, falling 97-88 to Oklahoma City to open a three-game homestand.

"None of us likes to lose; that's the frustrating part," said Paul Pierce, who had a team-high 24 points against the Thunder. "I think I like where we are headed, there are just little things that are really killing us."

Pierce may like that the Celtics are headed for an easier patch of schedule, as Boston's next three games come against teams with losing records.

Pierce is averaging 24.4 points in 22 career home meetings against the Raptors (4-10). Boston has defeated Toronto six straight times at home and in 15 of the last 17 meetings overall.

Facing the Raptors could also help Allen out of his individual slump. The veteran guard scored six points Monday - one point less than his previous season low of seven established Saturday in a 97-83 defeat at Indiana.

Allen is averaging 18.0 points on 53.5 percent shooting during the Celtics' six-game home winning streak against the Raptors.

Unlike Boston, Toronto - which has also dropped five straight - is accustomed to extended losing streaks. The Raptors dropped three games or more in a row nine times last season, including a 13-game slide Jan. 12-Feb. 2.

They last lost six straight March 21-April 2, and may be more likely to match that skid if big man Andrea Bargnani - the team leader with 22.3 points per game - is unavailable for a fourth straight contest due to a strained left calf.

Bargnani's success this season could be due to the new up-tempo offense installed by first-year coach Dwane Casey, and his absence was felt in Monday's 93-84 loss at Atlanta.

"I don't want to make excuses, but we're a young team and we have a new coach," said guard Jose Calderon, who had 13 points and 11 assists but also committed four of Toronto's 17 turnovers. "Sometimes we turn the ball over because we're trying to do too much.

"We have to keep fighting. Everybody believes in what we're doing, we just have to do it for 48 minutes. We're competing. We're not losing by 20 or 30 points."

DeMar DeRozan, Toronto's second-leading scorer (14.5 ppg), could use a better effort after making 5 of 17 shots for 10 points Monday. DeRozan has totaled 47 points in the Raptors' last two meetings with Boston.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Celtics beat Raptors 96-73 to snap 5-game skid

Posted Jan 19 2012 6:35AM

BOSTON (AP) The Boston Celtics had two reasons to be thankful Wednesday night: Their five-game losing streak was finally over and a scary fall by point guard Rajon Rondo resulted in only a sore right wrist.

Rondo still led the Celtics with 21 points before leaving the game late in the third quarter of a 96-73 win over the Toronto Raptors, giving Boston its first win in two weeks.

"I got some wide open looks at the rim. I made some easy ones, I made some tough ones. I was just trying to stay aggressive," said Rondo, who spent several frightening minutes on the floor after being leveled on a flagrant foul by Linas Kleiza with 2:12 left in the third quarter.

Gingerly holding his right wrist, Rondo got up, made one of two foul shots, then slowly walked to the locker room. X-rays showed no break and Rondo said he wanted to return, but the Celtics didn't risk it.

They didn't need to.

The Celtics blew open the game in the third quarter and led by at least 20 for much of the final period, ending their slide while extending the Raptors' losing streak to six.

Kevin Garnett added 15 points and Paul Pierce had seven assists, five more than Rondo as the two made a surprise role reversal.

"His assists are going to happen because he's a great passer," Boston coach Doc Rivers said of Rondo. "Tonight was just one of those nights. He was basically just scoring and wasn't getting assists. But it was good for the team."

Reserves Mickael Pietrus and Brandon Bass also made big contributions for the Celtics. Pietrus made four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points and Bass had 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

It was Boston's first win since beating New Jersey 89-70 on Jan. 4.

"This is our second-longest winning streak this year," Rondo said with a slight smile. "It's a positive vibe right now in our locker room."

Rondo said his wrist was still sore and described himself as day to day. The Celtics are at home again Friday night against Phoenix.

Toronto was without center Andrea Bargnani for the fourth straight game because of a calf strain and continued its slide, falling to 4-11 this season.

Gary Forbes scored 18 points and DeMar DeRozan had 11 for the Raptors, who couldn't overcome a slow start in the third period after keeping the Celtics close in the first half.

"We were both desperate, but they were the more desperate team," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. "We knew they'd come out throwing haymakers. I thought we handled it in the first half, but didn't in the third quarter."

Boston pulled away during the third, then got a scare when Rondo was driving for a layup with 2:12 left in the period and was hit hard by Kleiza, who came down hard with his left arm and knocked Rondo to the floor. Rondo landed awkwardly on his back with his right hand and wrist getting crunched in between his body and the court.

Kleiza was initially called for a flagrant 2 foul, but officials reduced it to a flagrant 1 after reviewing the play.

The game was pretty much decided before then.

After cutting a 15-point deficit to 44-38 at halftime, the Raptors struggled with their shots in the third, going without a field goal until Ed Davis' dunk 5:16 into the quarter.

The Raptors had just three free throws up to that point as Boston opened up a 53-41 lead despite some sloppy play of its own. The Celtics sharpened up midway through the period with a 13-2 run, getting six points from Bass and 3-pointers by Pietrus and Ray Allen while opening up a 68-46 lead.

The Raptors didn't seem to have much left after that, even with the Celtics going nearly 5 minutes into the fourth quarter without a field goal.

"Right now we're in a little bit of a slump the last six games," Forbes said. "It's something that's correctable. We're in every game pretty much in the third quarter. We've just got to get better."

NOTES: Rondo scored nine during a 13-0 run for Celtics, who held the Raptors without a field goal for 6:24 while pulling ahead 21-7 in the first quarter. After a miss by Kleiza, Rondo got the loose ball and took off for the basket, rolling in a layup with 0.9 seconds left and finished with 13 points in the period. ... The Celtics' 29 points were the most they've scored in the first quarter this season, topping their 28-point opener against Washington on Jan. 1. ... The Raptors outscored the Celtics 24-15 in the second quarter. ... Allen's 3-pointer 1:52 into the third was his first field goal of the game. He finished with just six points for the Celtics.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Celtics 96, Raptors 73

By Brian Robb, for NBA.comPosted Thursday January 19, 2012 12:45AM

THE FACTS: Rajon Rondo carried the Boston Celtics with 21 points before leaving with a sore right wrist, helping the C's snap a five-game losing streak with a 96-73 win over the Toronto Raptors. The All-Star point guard's aggressive offense enabled Boston to build a 20-point lead over the first three frames, before he was fouled hard on a drive with 2:12 remaining in the third quarter. Linas Kleiza was assessed a Flagrant-one foul on the play, while Rondo left the game after shooting his two free throws. He did not return. Kevin Garnett chipped in with 15 points for the hosts, as the Celtics ended the team's longest losing streak since 2007. The shorthanded Raptors scored a season-low 73 points in the setback, and they have now lost six straight games. Gary Forbes had a team-high 18 points for Toronto off the bench.

QUOTABLE: "It's day to day, we'll see how I feel tomorrow. I took a couple Advil and I'm sure I'll be OK."-- Rondo on his sore right wrist

THE STAT: The Celtics scored a season-high 29 points over the opening 12 minutes on 60 percent shooting. That total was a gigantic jump from their first quarter average of 16.6 points during the team's recent five-game slide.

TURNING POINT: Boston held the Raptors scoreless over a six-minute stretch in the first quarter, as they broke open a tight 9-8 game with a 13-0 run to push its lead to double-digits. The Raptors were unable to recover from the early deficit, as they never got closer than six points over the remainder of the contest.

QUOTABLE II: "Pietrus has already done far more than I thought he would do this quickly, and his energy is just infectious, and defensively he's unbelievable. You know, I remember not liking him when he was with the Magic when he came on the floor, because of his defensive toughness. And you've kind of forgotten about it. And he's reminding you why you didn't like him."-- Celtics coach Doc Rivers

HOT: Rondo -- The point guard switched out his usual role of facilitator against Toronto and became the team's go-to scorer, especially early on in the contest. Rondo hit all five shots he attempted during the opening frame, and added three free throws as well, to finish with 13 points in the period, one short of Toronto's total.

NOT: DeMar DeRozan -- The athletic swingman tried to take on an increased scoring load with lead scorer Andrea Bargnani sidelined, but struggled against Boston's pesky defense. DeRozan mustered just 11 points on 25 percent shooting (4-for-16) and coughed up five turnovers as well for the struggling Raptors.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Mickael Pietrus -- The late addition to the C's roster should be attractive to those needing a three-point scoring boost to their roster. The energetic small forward was 4-for-7 on 3s to finish with 12 points. Pietrus is now shooting 40.7 percent from beyond the arc on the season.

QUOTABLE III: "I thought we competed for a while and then we gave in. I thought the Celtics came out the more desperate team. We both were desperate, but they came out the more desperate than we did."-- Toronto coach Dwayne Casey

ROOKIE WATCH: Boston led comfortably for the majority of the second half, giving Rivers an opportunity to give his trio of rookies an extended look. Greg Stiemsma, E'Twaun Moore, and JaJuan Johnson all saw action for Boston. Johnson led the group with three points.

NOTABLE: Bargnani (calf) and Jerryd Bayless (ankle) did not suit up for the Raptors. Both remain day-to-day. Aaron Gray made his season debut for Toronto after missing the past four weeks with a heart ailment. The center grabbed four rebounds over 19 minutes. Keyon Dooling (knee) and Chris Wilcox (calf) both missed their third straight game for Boston. Dooling is hoping he can play Friday vs. Phoenix, while Wilcox is targeting a return next week, according to Rivers. ... Boston led by as many as 27 points in the fourth quarter. ... Paul Pierce had a season-high seven assists. ... Boston had 15 fast-break points, improving on an area of emphasis Rivers had keyed upon before the game. ... James Johnson earned his first start of the season in place of Rasual Butler. The third-year forward finished with just four points on one-of-seven shooting from the field.